"When I first came home, I got a chance to do the Jazz Fest," recalled Michael "Mystikal" Tyler in a recent interview with NOLA.com. "I got to perform with his band, and that's where I got (the idea to record and play with live bands). Not many rappers today can command and perform in front of a band. That's always been one of my niches -- live performance."

"I don't do that (expletive) no more. Learn from your mistakes, and watch your surroundings," Tyler said. "It had a lot to do with the cats I had around me. You know, so … I don't even have a circle. I got a half-circle. There's no 'circle' no more."

Tyler returns to Baton Rouge, where in a previous life he once lived with his mother in the gated Country Club of Louisiana, to perform at the Varsity Theatre on Aug. 15. He hopes to reunite with some fans who, he knows, have been waiting, waiting, waiting.

Tyler, who signed to Cash Money Records in late 2011, has been working on his first album since his release from prison for nearly three years, and he'd initially announced it would drop in June 2013. But delay after delay means the tracks have yet to see the light of day.

"That's the most-asked question right now. If I get out my truck right now and go walk down the street, I'm gonna hear, 'Man, when's it coming? .. Man! I'm waiting on that album!'" Tyler said. "It's coming, it's coming."

Tyler now expects a release date sometime before the end of the year, possibly October or November, and he's quick to talk about some of what it will bring. The album, which is titled "Original" and so far primarily produced by KLC, already features Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, Trombone Shorty and the Stooges Brass Band.

"Detail has a lot of tracks on the new album also. We went back with DJ Quik and El Debarge to sing on one hook, and man that thing's funky, funky, funky," Tyler said. "What I'm balancing is, is the fans. They're the most important thing to me right now, the fans that waited for me. They're No. 1."

Tyler said he doesn't worry about losing the fans who grew up on Mystikal years ago, and who might have lost touch after he spent the last 12 years handling situations legal, personal and musical.

"(The old school stuff), that's my comfort zone right there. When I do that, it's fool proof," Tyler said with the signature braggadocio of a classic rapper. "After all this time, they still turn out at my concerts and rock with me. They don't just stand there, they rock with me for real."

But the tough part, he admits, is appealing to both his old school fans and the new kids on the block.

"At the same time, I have to find a way to appeal to these new backpack kids, you know? My (Beats by) Dre headphones kids. That's the challenge," Tyler said.

"I couldn't think of a better way to get to the top than from the top," Tyler said. "When I was with No Limit, I'd been having conversations with (Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams) who said, 'When we gonna sit down?' And I'm like, 'Man, I'm already sitting down.' We always had those conversations, and I told them prior to me going (to prison), 'Make sure I have a home when I come back,' … and lo and behold, it was right there."

Mystikal performs at the Varsity Theatre, with special guest Steel Bill, on Thursday, Aug. 15. Doors open at 8 p.m., show starts at 9 p.m. Ticket information available through the Varsity Theatre or by calling 866.777.8932.